Following Light to New Chemical Discoveries with Jeff Lipshultz

Some of the biggest advances in modern chemistry are coming from scientists learning how to harness light as a tool. By using light to power chemical reactions, researchers are finding new ways to build complex molecules more efficiently and sustainably. At Stony Brook University, Jeff Lipshultz is helping push this work forward by exploring how light can be used to transform simple molecules into building blocks of medicine, materials and products people rely on every day.

As an undergraduate, Lipshultz said that his first organic chemistry course changed everything. The class focused heavily on organic synthesis, building complex structures from small molecules. "It struck me as the world's most complex jigsaw puzzle," he said. "You don't even know what the shapes of the pieces are when you start."

That sense of curiosity still drives Lipshultz today. Now an assistant professor in Stony Brook University's Department of Chemistry, he leads a research group that explores how light can be harnessed to drive chemical reactions in new, efficient and sustainable ways. His work sits at the intersection of foundational science and translational research, pushing the boundaries of organic chemistry toward applications in medicine, advanced materials and sustainable manufacturing.

Lipshultz's path toward photochemistry took shape during his doctoral training, during which he was surrounded by lab mates exploring how light energy could be used to activate chemical reactions. While his own work centered on complex synthesis problems, that environment gave him space to think differently.

"A few years later, when I started thinking about what kind of research program I wanted to run, it was a natural fit," he said.

Drawing on his background in organic synthesis and biochemistry, Lipshultz began developing a research program focused on photocatalysis, which uses light-absorbing catalysts to convert simple molecules into complex ones. When he came to Stony Brook, he quickly realized that the environment was suited for his vision.

"There was this clear culture of collaboration, not just within chemistry but across campus and at Brookhaven [National Laboratory]," he said. Lipshultz noted that there was a strong research environment where photochemistry is valued and actively studied from multiple perspectives.

At the heart of Lipshultz's research is the idea that chemists can use light to store energy and drive chemical change, similar to natural photosynthetic systems.

"Everyone knows photosynthesis," he said. "Plants use light energy to build the molecules that sustain life. As chemists, we can design systems that absorb light and convert it into chemical potential energy to drive reactions."

In practical terms, that means using light to transform abundant, simple molecules such as amino acids or small hydrocarbons into more complex structures that resemble or can be developed into pharmaceutical compounds. Much of his work falls under the umbrella of photocatalysis, a rapidly growing field that has reshaped organic synthesis over the past two decades.

Traditionally, many photocatalysts rely on rare and expensive metals such as iridium or ruthenium, but Lipshultz is focused on titanium, one of the most abundant, inexpensive, and non-toxic metals on Earth.

In a recent series of papers led by graduate students Jagrut Shah and Yetong Lin, and postdoc Zilu Tang, the lab demonstrated that titanium compounds not only perform productive photocatalysis, but also redirect reaction pathways with small design changes.

"Once we understood the system, we could decide which direction the reaction would go. That level of control is what really excited us," Lipshultz said.

Although Lipshultz describes his work as primarily foundational, its implications extend far beyond what people think of when they hear the word chemistry. Lipshultz explains that every material people interact with daily, from medications to plastics, depends on synthetic chemistry. Lipshultz believes foundational science is similar to developing tools that can enable major breakthroughs. Synthetic chemistry research expands that toolbox, often before scientists fully understand how those tools will be used.

"Basic science and applications are hard to separate in organic synthesis," he said. "We are constantly expanding the toolbox, even when we don't yet know exactly how a tool will be used."

To further expand collaboration and awareness across the field of photochemistry, Lipshultz co-founded an annual symposium called the Photochemistry Supergroup with a colleague at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Matthew Bird. The symposium was supported by a research conference seed grant from the Office of the President, the Office for Research and Innovation, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences. In 2025, the symposium had about 100 attendees and provided a forum for researchers from across organic, materials, computational, and physical chemistry backgrounds to come together to learn, discuss, and deepen their understanding of photochemistry.

When asked about collaboration, Lipshultz explains that computational chemists, spectroscopists, electrochemists, and industry partners, including those in the pharmaceutical sector, all play roles in transforming ideas into working systems. A long-standing collaboration with Stony Brook chemist Ben Levine has been especially formative in providing computational insight that helps guide experimental design, he said. Moreover, Lipshultz works closely with Merck and has received funding from American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable.

That collaborative mindset extends to the way Lipshultz trains the next generation of scientists. For him, research is not just about producing results but about training the people who can ask meaningful questions and navigate uncertainty.

"When I ask new students what the product of a PhD is, they usually say papers or dissertations," he said. "That is completely reasonable and 100% wrong. The product of a PhD is the scientist."

In the Lipshultz lab, mentorship is shaped around individual goals rather than a single academic trajectory. Students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to learn how to think critically about data, take ownership of their projects, and pursue careers in academia, industry, teaching, policy or beyond.

Looking ahead, Lipshultz hopes to continue building a research environment where foundational chemistry, collaboration and mentorship reinforce one another. By using light to open new chemical pathways and training scientists who carry these ideas forward, his work aims to shape not just how molecules are built but how future chemists approach scientific discovery.

-Minji Kang